Remarks Upon Signing the Budget Message for Fiscal Year 1967.

Director Schultze, Deputy Elmer Staats, dedicated members of the Budget Bureau, my friends:

We are pleased to come here this morning to sign and submit to the Congress the budget that we are sending up today. We have worked, with your help and advice, for many weeks and months now in an attempt to make this a responsible budget, and a prudent budget, and a reasonable budget that is in keeping with the times in which we live.

I think the budget is responsible because it reflects the needs and aspirations of our people. I think it launches and reinforces some of the most exciting and beneficial American programs that we have known, particularly in the field of human development-health and education.

I think it is a prudent budget because it was conceived within the framework of commonsense economy and as much efficiency as we could obtain in the Federal Government-under at least our management.

We have tried since the beginning of this fiscal year to get the managers of our Government to reduce expenditures wherever they possibly could, to eliminate what we thought could be termed "fat" programs that were obsolete or outmoded. And we have done that to a point where, with the exception of Vietnam, our budget this next year will be increased by 600 million over the budget last year.

Now in order to do that we had to--by eliminating programs, by reducing expenditures, by sale of assets and other means--cut 4 billion 700 million out of the budget.

And I said to most of my Cabinet officers several times that you people over here wanted me to say to them--before we passed on how many new dollars they could get for new programs--to be able to tell us how many old dollars they were saving from the elimination of old programs.

So in short, it came up that they eliminated 4 billion 700 million. But when we started passing it out we had to go further than that; we passed out 5 billion 3--600 million more than last year. Unfortunately, 700 million of that is in interest payments, or we would be actually under last year.

So that is what we are hoping at the end of the year our figures will reflect. We think they will be judged by our fellow man and our fellow citizen as reasonable. We think that they will meet the test of fiscal responsibility. We think that they reflect that we realize that these are somber and uncertain times.

And we know that if our problems in Vietnam can be solved, that we can take some of the funds that we necessarily must spend there in defending our freedom and stopping aggression and put on programs for human advancement.

Now as I sign this budget today, it reflects what the Budget Director, the Deputy Director, and members of what I consider one of the most outstanding and dedicated staffs in all the Government--it reflects what we believe is a realistic and honest assessment of our needs.

When I sent the budget to the Congress last year, I estimated we would have a deficit of something over 5 billion. Actually, it looks like now, with 5 months yet to go, that we will have a deficit of over 6 billion. So it will be up a little over a billion dollars. I hope that I'm wrong. I hope it comes down between now and June and maybe we will hit it close to right on the nose.

But what we are putting in this budget here is what we think is realistic, and we are going to try to do everything we can to stay within our estimates and make our dreams come true. If we do, we think that they will be approved by the American people and be rewarded.

In any event, I wanted you to know that this is the third budget I have presented. Each time, I marvel at the energy, the dedication, the imagination, and the uncomplaining hard work that the employees of the Budget Bureau give to their country and give to their Government.

You people have a passion for anonymity. The spotlight rarely shines on you. But today, I want it to shine on you, and I came here to tell you that on behalf of the American people, the Congress, the other branches of the Government, that we respect you and we recognize the many sacrifices you have made to bring about this final result.

Also, I want to perform a little act, as requested by Mr. Schultze, this morning. I want to recognize one man in the Budget Bureau who for 34 years has made a very tremendous individual contribution to the budget. His name is William F. McCandless. He has added to the quality of his Government by giving all of his adult life to public service. As Assistant Director of the Budget his achievements in budgeting have left a very enduring mark on the executive branch of the Federal Government. He has served now five Presidents. He has served with eleven Budget Directors, and he has served all of them with great energy and with great fidelity. He has served them without regard to political party or to political power.

So today, Mr. McCandless, in the presence of your wife, Irene, and your daughter, Susan, I want to bring you the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service to your country. And, through you, I especially want to thank the other men and women who have worked with you and helped to enlarge the strength and knowledge of their Nation, and thank those whose skills and spirit have produced a responsible and, as I said, a prudent, and what I believe will be judged as a reasonable budget for all the citizens of the United States and the Government of the United States.

Thank you.